Since my current business is writing and marketing what I write, I'll start there with my contribution. So far, what I've found is that when it comes to successfully marketing a book – the secret appears to be throwing as much money as you can at it. Buy ads, buy reviews, buy twitter friends, and hire publicists that promise for only $3000 we can make your book a best seller on Amazon.

I know, cynical. That's why, when Arlee asked me to be part of this project I agreed. I don't have buckets of money to throw at my novels, so like most of you I am trying to do this the hard way, the way we're all told should work – build a platform, network online, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. etc!

With all that in mind I created a page on Facebook for my novel, Murder, Madness & Love, but couldn't get the 'likes' I saw that others had, so I paid to advertise my page. I was able to get over 500 likes, but I'm almost positive those likes did not translate into sales.

Another positive that I've found for selling books is a review. It has always increased the sales figures, especially if posted on a blog.

And in that regard, I made it my New Year's resolution to post reviews for all the books I've read. I'm behind on that goal, and I assume I always will be. Because for every book I've read and reviewed, I've added five more to my TBR list. It's an ongoing circle, but I will give it my best effort, I hope you and other readers will too!

Have you had better success with Facebook?

Do you find that a review increases sales?

Do you have a secret for getting readers to write a review?

BLOGS

In my opinion, if you're looking for success with your blog in regards to the numbers of followers and comments – a blog fest is the quickest way to meet new bloggers. The catch is in the commenting. When I get busy and can't reach all my favorites, I see the number of comments drop on my posts too.

Another catch 22 because time is a valuable commodity and commenting takes a lot of time. The two most successful people I've seen are Alex J Cavanaugh, our Ninja captain, and Pat Hatt at It's Rhyme Time. Both are very successful with not only posting regularly, but they both respond to the commenters on their site while visiting other sites too. I am in awe gentlemen!

As well as paying to advertise my books FB page, I've also tried boosting (paying to advertise) blog posts, especially guest posts and book reviews. Facebook claims I had several thousand viewers for each post I boosted and the numbers all depend on how much you're willing to spend. Again I wasn't sure those viewers actually viewed the blog post.

My opportunity to find out happened when I posted on Arlee's blog, I paid for a boost on Facebook and told Arlee what I was doing. Arlee said he saw an increase in the readers to that particular post, but it was nowhere close to the numbers that Facebook reported. My conclusion, I may have just wasted more of my hard-earned money.

What about you, have you boosted a blog on FB page and seen results?

ADVICE FOR ANY BUSINESS

I recently read another news report about a bookkeeper brought up on embezzlement charges. These stories always upset me because this kind of crime is so easy to avoid. As a former accountant I'm going to address that here even though it's not about marketing success or failure, but it is about successful management. Most all of the companies involved aren't large, most are churches, fire stations, car dealerships, etc. But the money stolen is huge!

So my advice to all business owners especially the small or not for profit, but truthfully - ANY BUSINESS - do not, and I'll repeat myself – DO NOT give one individual total access to your cash, your bank accounts, any of your funds!

If you have an accountant, its fine to allow them be a signer on the bank accounts, but make sure, you, as CEO, owner, manager, or boss, are the second signer! Any check can be designed with two signature lines – and this is easily arranged with your bank.

Also, when you sign those checks make sure that all the back-up paperwork is there! Each check has to have an invoice and you should recognize the Payee. Know who your creditors are and ask questions when something looks odd.

Again, I'll repeat myself - NEVER – EVER give one person signatory rights! I don't care if the person doing your books is someone you've known all your life or trust implicitly!

Also, if you are the accountant or bookkeeper – no matter what company you're working for, insist on two signatures. This is your first line of defense too!

Consider doing an audit. It sounds expensive but like all things there are different types of audits with different costs, and if you can't afford to do it annually, do it at least every two years. The best way to keep someone from ripping you off is to make sure your books are checked regularly and that all your employees know this. If you're a small non profit, get volunteers to do the audit - everyone knows at least one accountant. Or barter for it!

Don't let anyone, even someone you trust have that kind of financial control~EVER~! Okay I'm off my soap box.

94 comments:

What a great start to What Works....! You provide some good insight here and a lot of content to get the ball rolling in this event. I'm anxious to see the comments here and on other sites. Thanks for all your help and inspiration, Yolanda. Now I hope we're on the way to figuring that magic formula to successful marketing.

Hi, Yolanda, Thanks for hosting. Facebook was a bust for me too. I got a lot of likes on one book I paid to promote years ago. but those didn't convert to any sales. It's worse now as they have now gone to a system where you have to pay them to promote stuff to the people who liked your page anyway.

Good advice on signatory rights for business accounts. A little bit of smarts goes a long way.

So true J. L. - a little bit of caution can save lots of heartache. My heart just breaks when the victim is a church or small business because you know it was all done based on trust, but when it comes to money - you can't let emotion get in the way.

I hate paying FB for anything - but I wanted to test it, the boosts for blogs post, and for $5 - I thought why not. Although the likes were a bit more expensive - it's not a route I'll ever take again. It doesn't translate to buyers. Thanks for stopping by!

I love the idea of a marketing symposium. Thank you, Yolanda, Alex, Arlee and Jeremy for hosting it.

I don't have overly much experience in paying for ads etc. but at CQ we have seen a boost when we've paid for Facebook promotion.

I think the key though is work of mouth, and that will come from reviews and building a network. The more people talking about your book, the more attention it will gain, and then hopefully it will begin to soar through the amazon rankings! :)

Wow. Some detailed and awesome advice there. Like you, for me Facebook was a bust. What I found worked was cover reveals, blitzes, and blog tours. Also, eBook promotion sites. There are some fantastic sites out there, especially for Kindle.

I'd never even thought of paying for hits, but am way too cheap to do it. And solid advice about two signers on a bank account. I run the volunteer Girl Scout program in my area and the number one problem Girl Scouts has is when a rogue leader hijacks the troop account. Nowadays, in my region, troops can't open an account unless there are two signers on the account, they are unrelated,and they are background checked and approved. Then I get after them every year to submit their annual financial reports. Things are much better now.

Me too Kim, but for $5 - I had to give it a try. I'm so glad you changed things with the Girl Scouts - anyone handling the money should be upfront and open - but some of these folks have such strong and trusting personalities. I'm so glad you have it under control - the worst are when a not-for-profit is hit! Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks Jeremy, your designs are awesome! I'm sure many will take you up on your offer.

The music, No More is by Phillip Lober, the young man who wrote it is amazing. I was privileged to write a short story to it, but I'm not sure I did it justice. But so honored to have been a part of it for the Philippines relief fund.

My numbers actually improved when I stopped using Facebook. The biggest thing that helped my blogs is interacting and getting to know other bloggers. There is simply no substitute for real human interaction, whether it is with family, friends or even online.

I love that, really, I find FB irritating - simply because I still don't understand the art of making people care that I'm up and having my coffee? LOL I know it's all me, but still, and the same thing goes for twitter. It seems to be a tool for the already famous!

I haven't tried boosting posts on Facebook. The stats they report --- about the number of people who saw my post -- didn't show up on my blog stats. So, there was no actual visit. I guess if you just saw a post on the page, that already counted as you seeing it even if you didn't click on the link and really checked it out.

Exactly, I think they put the ad up and if you sign on that day they count it! Odd and not very helpful - but I'm sure at first it makes people like me hope that it will translate. Without Arlee's help, I'd have never known for sure. It was worth the $5 expense to find out though!

No, it isn't, at least not for me - I do think that if you are actually getting to the readers, and Goodreads may be the place where it would make a difference. Some folks have had better luck - I think it all has to do with your reach and your method. Jeremy uses 'eye candy' LOL!

Thanks for the helpful posts and the whole blogfest! I've been tempted to "boost" an FB post here and there--thanks for saving me $5 :)

About the double-signed checks: when our PTA opened a new account, we were told that the bank does not actually honor the two-signers rule. That doesn't mean you shouldn't have it--and putting two lines on the checks seems like a good idea, as it makes it obvious to the recipient that they need two sigs. But the most important thing is the audit, and having two people involved at every stage of money handling. The national PTA guidelines are a great resource to see how to do all this (and our school district had a good example of what can happen when you don't follow them, as a PTA president was recently convicted for embezzling about ten grand. On the up side, he is now paying it back, however slowly). (Note: I am still trying to figure out how he managed that, give the small amounts of money the PTA at that school usually deals in).

One dollar at a time is all it takes, and if they are there for years - they can manage to steal a bundlet! It's appalling. Business accounts, at least they used to, had it spelled out, on the signature cards, if your bank doesn't do it, find one that will. Also, you can add the second line yourself with a pen, I did that until the real checks came out. But more important make sure that it's part of the bylaws of the company, that the staff knows the rule and that two people are always looking at everything!

I suspect that point about doing a little at a time is partly behind the PTA rule about serving in a leadership position for only two years (though we certainly rotated ourselves around among the jobs--the other side of that is the difficulty of getting volunteers and desire to hang onto any who wander in).

I was on the PTA, too, as the treasurer, in fact on every board I've served treasurer was my job. Say the word accountant and people jump all over you for that hated role! LOL And it's true, volunteers are always hard to come by, but making sure two people are responsible for the money will help. And audits too. Thanks for stopping back by Rebecca!

I'm sending out ARCs so I have reviews in place on Amazon and Goodreads once my book is released in March. Reviews are very important. And I found FB is a great way to promote. And simply ask people to share, and they will.

Thanks Cathy - I am a passionate person! C Hope Clark has been doing this for years and now has two published books - but it took her a long time too. She's done a wonderful job and has always shared her journey!

Great post! Thanks. So far I haven't paid any money to boost my sales, but have been considering it recently. I'm on Face Book and Twitter and Good Reads. I blog and review books that I win or that are gifted to me and those I buy. Reviews haven't helped my sales a lot, but I appreciate each one. Saving your advice for future reference.

Thanks Beverly, remember what doesn't work for one may still work for another. I think it all has to do with your reach to readers. If you have a great following - go for it. An investment of $5 isn't a bad test.Thanks for your review work!

I've tried the Facebook thing once, complete waste of money, never again. I remain in control of everything, no one is touching my bank account and such haha and the cat keeps ahead of the 8 ball, that is how he stays on top of everything. Reviews on Amazon and around the blog sphere help a lot too.

Since I am on the cusp of leaving writing for good, I have experienced what you have myself. FB has changed, becoming even more of a money-seeking business. I paid to advertize my DEATH IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE page ... not 500 likes ... only 69! Ouch.

John Locke paid $3000 for his reviews on Amazon ... which artificially boosted his sales (he paid for his book to them) and made him a WonderChild. Alex visited 100 blogs daily at the beginning, writing comments. So money and time are what you need to have a shot at a bestseller. As a rare blood courier, I have very little of each.

You gave very wise business advise, and I hope all your readers keep it. Thank you this fine blogtour. :-)

I do hope you don't leave Roland, you have real talent, but I understand the frustration.I know that it takes money, but I can't give up on hoping I can at least find a way to make enought to pay the bills - which hasn't happened yet. My expenses still exceed my income by thousands. If I could break even I'd be happier! Still writing is in my blood and it's what I do and will continue to do! I think you will too, at least I hope so!Thank you Roland!

I've too have heard of mixed results from FB advertising. I have an author page with over 300 likes, but I have to pay to get more to see my posts on there. And I've heard even paying for more views doesn't even work. That's like burning your money away.

I've not heard any positive things from FB marketing. I have an author page too, but I don't often use it before it doesn't get much response. I use Twitter to shout out about my book the most. I've found that more I retweet others, the more I'll get retweeted and out to a bigger audience. My blog is still my number one tool. It's hard to find a balance with it, though, because it takes up a lot of time. As for reviews, yes, they definitely help. I haven't found a trick yet for getting readers to review my stuff yet. It's frustrating. Like you, I'm making an effort to put up more reviews this year. Thanks for hosting this great symposium, Yolanda! :)

I've been doing this since 2008 and obviously very poorly - my fault - I know. This, blogging is my favorite arena too - it's personal, and I don't have to pretend I care about what someone had for dinner. I can comment on issues, books, and personal experiences that are so much more interesting. And I've made great friends here.I agree reviews, especially on blog posts do make a big difference. Thanks Christine!

I wonder how authors promoted themselves 30 to 50 years ago? Thankfully we have the internet and all the social media sites that help somewhat. I despise self-promotion, though, with billions of books out there we must help ourselves. I believe our blogging, FB, Twitter, and sites we've joined will help get us recognized as authors, but as far as sales, who knows?

30 ro 50 years ago, authors were revered! Personal appearances, newspapers and magazines, etc! It was hard then too for authors, with copyright law issues and book banning. So while they didn't have the internet - they also didn't have the massive competition the internet and self-publishing has provided. I think each age has it's problems - we just have to figure out how to manage our time's issues! LOLThanks Cathrina!

Awesome post Yolanda! Was thinking of using FB boosting and ads, but now may look elsewhere. Can't believe they would juice their numbers like that. Have you heard of Amy Porterfield? She is an expert on using Facebook marketing. She has multiple products and seems to be doing quite well so I am a little surprised about your experience. Finally, thank you for the great rant about giving too much power to one person. Guess when money is involved, better safe than sorry. Thanks Yolanda!

I haven't hear of Amy, but I will be looking her up. I need all the help I can get to make a success of FB - others have, but me - no such luck. Just remember as you read these, you will find different experiences with all these methods. So you it could still work for you - if you've done the networking properly - me - I'm not a social person, my fault - no one else's, but I just can't figure out how to make announcing what I'm having for dinner interesting enough. LOLMy rant was brought on by another report - a not-for-profit - trusting someone and losing thousands. Thank you Buck ,for stopping by!

Interesting post, Yolanda. I must admit, when I first started reading, my jaw dropped open a little. The secret is to throw a lot of money at it? HA! You had me going for a minute there.

The only attempt I've made to promote my book was a Goodreads giveaway.I was thrilled to see more than 1400 people enter, and almost half of them added my book as "want to read." However, I don't know that it's translated to a single sale. What's more, four of the books went overseas... on my dime. (um, LOTS of dimes, actually) On the plus side, they've all contacted me with some very kind emails. Whether any of them follow through and write a review remains to be seen. Most people who've raved about my book and "promised" to write a review haven't. C'est la vie. (la vie)

I know how hard it is to get to all those reviews - I have a few hundred that I owe - just a slight exaggeration! But time is the enemy in this busy, busy life. But yeah, I wish more readers would review. I couldn't even get family to write one this second time around. They just ignored me too! LOL I'm full of the one liners tonight - must be the muscle relaxers. LOL

Okay, I'll stop. Thanks Susan for stopping by but especially for those beautiful reviews you took the time to write - I owe you for that!

So much of marketing is trial and error and 20-20 hindsight. What works for one, doesn't work for another. The best thing is word-of-mouth for any book. If anyone cracks that magic pill, he/she would be a genius!

aww! someone got up on the wrong side of the internet yesterday! but there are definitely tough times to slough through when marketing. thanks for hosting and bringing so many together! i got some great ideas!

I always try to read posts like this from those farther down the road in the publishing journey. Listen, learn and sort through it all. Tough. I'm impressed by the hard work, enthusiasm and amount of learning authors must do these days. It's almost overwhelming!

Awesome post, Yolanda! Those Facebook likes, Twitter followers, Goodreads friends, etc. accomplish one thing in my mind: Street cred. As you say, I definitely haven't seen it correlate to books sold. But I do know the bigger your number, the bigger the impression it makes on people who stumble across you. The problem is, I've seen many authors sinking a ton of time, energy, and money into trying to build those numbers. And for something as immeasurable as "street cred" I'm not sure the tradeoff is worth it.

Thanks E J - street cred, I think is more important when it's proven your book is worth it - reviews help do that. But numbers do give the illusion others think so - well, maybe they used to, now I thing the jig is up! LOL

I've tried Facebook advertising too and while it did help me get "likes" I don't think it had any impact on sales. I've wondered about boosting posts so it was interesting to read your experience with the post you did on Lee's site.

Hi Yolanda I have missed you! I always appreciate your wonderful advice~ I too agree with the advice on control-we have to tend our babies carefully and be guarded with the ones we allow to be part of their care. What a great fest....off to make the rounds! Thank you~

Good tips.I hope one day I will have to worry about someone else managing my money! I never saw a boost with facebook ads either. I did get a boost once when a book club tweeted my story as a goodread. The trick is finding more to love your work. I guess that will just take time because I son't have the thousands to throw at it either. Best of luck Yolanda! Thanks for hosting :)

Great tips!!! So far my best ways of getting reader reviews are: Goodreads Giveaways, and asking point blank for reviews on facebook, twitter, and in e-mails to friends. I still only have 12 reviews at Amazon and 7 at Goodreads, but they are good ones, and I appreciate every one of them. When I get a new review, I highlight it on facebook and share it with others as a way of saying thank you. (Of course, I'm not sure that I'll do that on the day that I get a one or two star review - which I know will come eventually)Anyway, just some thoughts. Thank you for co-hosting this symposium. I apologize for taking so long to getting into the list of participants.

Thanks Tyrean, no need to apologize, it's just wonderful that you did check it out and comment. I know what you mean about reviews, I love it too when a new one appears and post it on my FB page, and I've a goodreads giveaway going now, but it's getting to the readers, and not just other authors that I struggle with.

Would love to hear from you, say hello and leave your blog address - I'll visit, but please take with you my undying gratitude that you stopped by for a read. Be well, be happy, and may your blog surfing bring you joy!